Bigger than Ben Hur
26 GLENDOWIE RD, GLENDOWIE
Richard Tohill can’t resist borrowing a line from a famous television commercial when he shows visitors around his Glendowie home. “But wait, there’s more,” could be uttered many times over because just when you think you’ve seen all the contemporary masonry home has to offer, there’s something else.
“It’s definitely not small,” says Richard, which is
a massive understatement. At 572sq m, even the word “generous” is underplaying things.
Richard and his wife Jody Leicester, who built the house in 2004 on a 1249sq m site across the road from the Tamaki Estuary, wanted a big home with room for Jody’s parents, Harry and Jo.
So a large part of the rear of the building was devoted to their living quarters. On the ground floor is a spacious living/dining area, with a full kitchen, that opens up to a patio, lawn and the garden. A lift goes upstairs to a second living area/ TV room, a big bedroom, en suite and walk-through wardrobe.
“It had everything they needed,” says Jody. “The only thing we shared was the washing machine.”
Harry and Jo have now moved on to a retirement home and with only son Marc remaining (brother Sam has flown the nest) the house is far too big for three people.
“It would be ideal for someone who has extended family living with them, or lots of visitors from overseas,” says Richard.
Harry and Jo’s area would also suit a live-in nanny or could be incorporated into the rest of the house, providing another bedroom and even more living spaces – although there is already no shortage of those.
An elegant formal lounge next to the entrance lobby has a gas fire, drop-down screen and movie projector, and sliding doors out to a covered patio. The generous upstairs landing is used as another sitting area — Richard likes to play the guitar here.
And at the other end of the house, facing out to the garden, is the family room, dining area and kitchen. This area, with a glassed-in gas fire and feature concrete wall, is where the couple now spend most of their time.
Even the outdoor areas are substantial. Off the family room is a patio with a Louvretec pergola and electric screens that, with the flick of a switch, drop down to create an enclosed living space. An adjoining open air patio has an outdoor fire and so much room it has easily accommodated six tables of eight people at two weddings at the house.
The 12m pool and the tropically landscaped gardens give the home a resort feel, and — wait, there’s more! — a pool house with a full bathroom provides yet another living space or more accommodation for guests should you run out of room in the house.
That’s not likely, because along with four bedrooms on the upper level (including the master suite and what was Harry and Jo’s bedroom), there’s another room downstairs off the lobby that Richard and Jody use as a study, but could be a guest bedroom. It has the convenience of a bathroom next door.
Richard and Jody’s master suite is at the front of the house with a large balcony, fabulous views of the water, a spacious en suite, walk-in wardrobe and cupboards for coats and Jody’s shoes.
“We didn’t stint on anything,” says Richard. And yes, there’s even more. Also downstairs is a big laundry, powder room, storage room and a garage that is — needless to say — huge. There is even a cupboard tucked into the hedge at the front of the property for storing kayaks.
With its concrete construction, stylish design, generous use of windows, ample storage, underfloor heating and heat pumps it is a warm, light, quiet, comfortable and easy home to live in. Richard and Jody have kept it meticulously maintained, and recently repainted, re-carpeted, and updated the bathrooms.
They say they couldn’t have chosen a better location — along with having the estuary across the road there are great neighbours, lots of parks nearby to walk Cooper the labradoodle, the Glendowie Boating Club at the end of the street and the chartered Churchill Club around the corner.
“It definitely hasn’t been a hardship living here,” says Richard. “Unfortunately now for us, the house is just too big.”